Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A fortnight ago the vast majority of us who spoke here were hoping for a very different outcome in the crucial vote on whether the North would vote to remain in, or leave, the European Union. Sinn Féin campaigned vigorously for a Remain vote, and the North did vote to remain. However, as a result of the vote in England and Wales, the entire island of Ireland now faces huge challenges, as acknowledged by many Members, the most serious challenges we have faced for many years. During the referendum vote in the North, for the first time since the Good Friday Agreement, Unionists, republicans, Nationalists and others expressed a collective and definitive voice and said they wished to remain within the European Union. That collective expression is momentous and should be heeded in light of the unique challenges a post-Brexit environment poses for Ireland.

I am of the firm view that such challenges can only be overcome in the national interest if we think and act nationally. That means on an all-Ireland basis, here at home and abroad. That is why I wrote to the Taoiseach on Thursday, as well as to the First and Deputy First Ministers and to all political party leaders on the island, proposing the establishment of a national forum to discuss how the vote of the clear majority of citizens in the North - who want to remain in the EU - can be respected and defended, and how the unique challenges facing Ireland can be adequately addressed. Speculation arose, directly from media interviews given by two Ministers, that this issue would be raised at the North-South meeting yesterday. It now appears there was no tic-tac between the Government and the Northern Ministers before the meeting. If this is correct it is extremely worrying. The Taoiseach's current lack of clarity over the status of the proposal is also worrying. I listened intently to the Taoiseach's answers to various questions today, but it is uncertain whether the Taoiseach will establish a national forum that will have island-wide participation. He went from Government support for the proposal to a totally unclear position. Surely he should not have been surprised by the DUP's response. They may decide not to attend, but the DUP's rejection should not be allowed to stand in the way of the establishment of such a body.

There will be enormous goodwill for a forum that seeks to defend the North’s vote to remain and to protect the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement, its institutions and the two economies on this island - the very objectives that the Taoiseach quite rightly set out as the Government's objectives. I have no doubt that civic Unionism and civic society in general will attend, along with representatives from our agriculture, agrifood, business, voluntary, community and other sectors.

There is an onus on the entire apparatus of Government to work closely with the Executive to achieve maximum co-operation on all of the outworkings of the Brexit vote across this island. There is also an onus on all of those people who claim to be republicans to do likewise.

The Fianna Fáil leader took the opportunity today to attack Sinn Féin's calls for a referendum on Irish unity. He then went on to say that he hopes that people in the North will move to a pro-united-Ireland position. He will need more than hope. He would actually need to be working with us, and everybody else, whatever disagreement he may have with us, to try to bring about that aim. The challenge is to rise above his own little personal party-political focus to work for the common good and in the national interest.

There is a particular opportunity and imperative now, in light of some of the negative and dismissive voices coming from England, with regard to the Good Friday Agreement and, in particular, the human rights provisions that underpin much of it. Let us be in no doubt whatsoever that the Good Friday Agreement is under threat. Consider, for example, one of the candidates for the Conservative Party leadership, Michael Gove, MP, and his warped fantasies of British military victory over Nationalist and republican Ireland. He argued for war instead of peace. He has derided the Good Friday Agreement, opposed demilitarisation and opposed the reform of policing and justice in the North. This record is from a man who wants to be the next British Prime Minister.

There is a huge responsibility on us all to set differences aside, act together and act nationally in the time ahead. It is also important to look at the current situation. The First Minister lost the vote, yet she wants the North to leave the EU. The Deputy First Minister won the vote - along with others - and he wants the North to have its vote upheld and defended. After a good start for the Fresh Start agreement and the work done there, there is a crack emerging in the time ahead. Let us not underestimate the difficulties that will present. I would argue very strongly for the right of Ministers in the North to deal directly with the EU institutions and for the Taoiseach and the Government to support that proposition.

I request that the Commission be asked to establish a fund to assist small Irish export businesses that may be destroyed by the consequences of Brexit. Many of these businesses, as the Taoiseach is aware, are tied into contracts and may have to shut down if they do not receive assistance. It took years to establish these export businesses, through austerity and all of its difficulties, and they currently employ a great number of people. Perhaps the Taoiseach will raise this important issue with the Commission also.

At the pre-Council statements two weeks ago I raised the issue of refugees. This is the third year of the current crisis and there appears to be no let-up in the numbers of refugees trying to reach Europe. Today the Taoiseach said that discussions at last week's meeting were more limited than usual. He also said that there had been progress on many measures. However, a recent United Nations report says that more than 7,000 children took the central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy from January to June this year - more than double the number who did so during the same period in 2015. How is that considered progress? Tragically, in the first six months of the year, more than 2,800 deaths were recorded in the Mediterranean. For the whole of 2015 the number was 3,770. Many of these deaths were of children. As we sit here in the relative comfort of this Chamber, those figures are staggering when we contemplate them. Some 96,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in Europe in 2015. UNICEF has urged the EU to introduce measures to create a stronger process through which minors can find safety, and it also advocates for the reunion of children with family members. We have to look to our Government to champion these refugees. We cannot look to anybody else. We must look to the Taoiseach to represent us and the unfortunate people who are fleeing conflict, prejudice and the danger of being discriminated against or killed. There is no report on whether any of this was discussed at the Council meeting.

I also commend and thank the crew of the LE Róisín, the naval vessel which completed its humanitarian mission in recent days. It saved in excess of 1,250 people in the past 12 weeks. That is the size of a small town. The crew does incredible work and I am sure all of us here are very proud of the crew's efforts. I also wish the crew of the LE James Joycethe very best as it sets out on a similar mission from Cork on Friday. We have to work towards making these missions a thing of the past. That should be our focus at these Council meetings and in our other engagements because while we all focus on Brexit, these issues are not in the media but they are happening.

I wrote to the Taoiseach two weeks ago about the ongoing plight of Ibrahim Halawa, who is still detained in Egypt, and asked him to raise this case with other European leaders. He did not say in the course of his report whether he did. Since then, the trial date has been postponed for a 14th time. The Taoiseach knows Ibrahim should be at home with his family and friends. Will he confirm that he raised Ibrahim’s case at the European Council meeting?

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